Wow, this is a fabulous and strange book. It's one of those magical old children's books that holds its own inner logic -- moving from one vividly imagined scene to the next, it contains visions that will stay with you forever.
(Found via Philip Pullman's Top 40 Booklist)

Great short story, and very timely to read this week! It's about the day they turned on the Texas particle accelerator (that in reality we never finished). It's a tense, atmospheric story about what happens when Big Science meets a very human failing. Great read.

If you've read "Bury Me Standing," by Isabel Fonseca, or "Tribe," by John F. McDonald, or even if you've seen "Snatch" and become fascinated by Brad Pitt's character, this book is worth a look. Leland spent enough time among the English Romany people to learn their true language, which he traces back to Sanskrit roots. His analysis is fascinating, but what's equally clear throughout the book is Leland's genuine fondness and respect for the Romany people. Fun read: Romany proverbs.

This is fascinating, but the writing style itself is less wonderful than you might expect. Wharton is clearly blown away by what she sees, on one of the first tours of Morocco by a Western person since the French occupation began, and there are many beautiful moments. The writing is impressionistic but oddly formal. If you're interested in Morocco or the Merinid/Almohad empires, this will be interesting; it's also key if you are interested in Wharton's own life and travels.